Chai Or Pizza?

Dear Readers,

The next week will be a crucial one… or will it? We will get to know which political party gets to form the next ruling government… Will the current one, which many seem to have had enough of, continue? Or, will the incoming one, which we voted out five years ago coz we’d had enough of them too, get back in the saddle? Because that’s what we do as Indian voters – we vote out one atrocious government and vote in another obnoxious one. The saving grace? At least this one won’t be as corrupt… or then, that one won’t be as communal… or so we tell ourselves.

It leaves one wondering though – does it even really matter which party wins… I mean, looking back into the past twenty, thirty or forty years, can we really cheer or even reminisce any prosperous times for citizens under any erstwhile government? There’s only so long we can hide behind the ‘third world nation’ excuse. We are not a nascent democracy anymore – we’ve been at the steering wheel for over seventy years now, since Independence. Yes, we have progressed, and we continue to – but the pace is appallingly lagging – constantly marred by the unsurmountable shortcomings of our elected governments, which, ironically have proven to be speed-breakers instead of accelerators.

Truth is, there’s not much reason for citizens to celebrate these ‘chai-and-pizza’ parties. Neither has proven good for the health of the citizenry, much less, the nation. Even so, these are the choices imposed upon us. So, what’s it gonna be this time around? Chai? Or Pizza? Oh whatever…

Have a good weekend!

– Anahita